Monday, 15 October 2007

Cherry Bakewell Tarts

I may well be lynched for saying this, but when I actually had proper Bakewell Tart from Bakewell in Derbyshire, I wasn’t that keen. I prefer the twist on the theme – the cherry bakewell which takes all the good points i.e. the pastry, the almond filling and adds sweet white icing and then, a cherry on the top.

Here’s the tart 'nude' i.e. before the icing and cherry (I'm sorry if that sentence got anyone excited and expecting something different!):

I’d been looking for a recipe that required glacé cherries since I purchased a ridiculously expensive pot of them at Borough Market . They look quite beautiful on the finished tart – quite literally the cherry on the icing on the cake!

Don’t worry about the jam bubbling up through the almond mix - as long as you ensure the almond mix completely covers the jam you won’t have any problems when baking.

The measurements set out in the recipe produced 14 tarts for me, but my tart tray is quite deep; if you use a shallow tray you may get more.

Make sure that you put the cherry on top before the icing has set so it can’t fall off:

How can they fail to please – just look at the layers: pastry, jam, almond sponge, icing, cherry. Plus, they look like a cartoon drawing of a cake; I think that if you asked a child to draw a cake most would end up with something like this.

For the icing:175g Icing Sugar1-2 tablespoons water7 Glacé cherries (half for each tart)How to make:

- Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.- Add the egg yolk and sugar and mix with a knife (it’s more effective than a spoon).- Add enough water to bring the dough together – you’re aiming for firm but not hard. I always use my hands to do this as it gives you better control.- If you’ve added too much water and the dough is sticky, don’t panic – just add a little more flour.- Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.- preheat oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/ Gas mark 6 and grease 14 patty tins i.e. the individual little patty indents – not 14 tins, that would be silly!- Roll out the pastry between two sheets of greaseproof paper, this saves you having to use any extra flour. However, if you prefer, roll out on a floured board.- Using a cutter slightly bigger than the diameter of your patty tin indents, cut out 14 circles. You will have to re-roll the pastry to get this many but it’s very good natured and will re-roll several times.- Line the greased tins with the pastry disks and spoon some jam onto each one. I used about half a heaped teaspoon for each tart.- Now make the almond filling. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.- Beat in the eggs one at a time, and after each egg, add half of the ground almonds. The mix will curdle but don’ panic – as soon as you add the flour it will correct itself.- Add the flour and almond essence and stir well. You can just mix it – there’s no need to fold or be careful.- Spoon the mix into each pastry case and bake for 20 minutes. Mine took exactly this time.- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin. This is because the pastry is fragile when fresh from the oven and firms as it cools.- Mix together the icing sugar and water until smooth and glossy – adjust the measurements as required to get the right thickness. You’re aiming for thick but still runny, opaque and glossy.- Spoon onto the top of each tart. Before fully set, add half a glacé cherry on top.- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.- Eat.

When I saw those I was reminded of illustrations in some childhood books that I'd salivate over. Your right. Ive never actually seen a real pastry look like that( in the US), but they look great.Where do you find the time? I have all these projects in my head, but in reality....

hello! i am obsessed with mr. kipling's cherry bakewells and was perusing the 'net in search of a copycat recipe and i stumbled upon this page.

first of all, great blog and recipes! i will now be a daily visitor! but secondly i have a question...when you baked these, you didn't need to parbake the pastry shells before adding the cake filling? i just wanted to double check before i gave them a go in my own kitchen!

oh...my...goodness :) i am forever in your debt. these turned out JUST like the real thing. what a success, thank you so much again! and i definitely agree with sm-matrix, this shortcrust pastry is the best i've ever had.

Thank you very much for this recipe. I made a batch of cherry bakewells over the weekend and they got the thumbs up from anyone who tried them. I'll be trying out some of your other recipes as well now that I've found your blog

I am so excited for this recipe...i lived in England for several years and became addicted to Mr Kiplings cherry bakewells...but you cant get those in the states (well, you CAN but it's extremely expensive). I cannot wait to try this recipe!!

I bought the Mr. Kipling variety during the holidays and wolfed them down myself, finding excuses to have tea time 5 times a day, just so I could eat them. I tried to appear not to have an addiction, but I was discovered quickly when the tarts were all gone, lickety-split!

Can I use cupcake tins for this recipe, and only go 1/2 way up the sides? I do have the mini tart pans, but those are uber-teensy, and the cherry would look awkward on them. Thanks for your cake-a-licious advice!

BTW, did you know you can make a cake in a rice cooker? Just a fun variation when you are looking to experiment with your crusade.

Thank you so much for this recipe - I used to make these the time until I lost my nan's recipe which seemed very similar, unfortunately she's no longer with us to ask for it again. I shall enjoy trying these later!!

I made these in muffin tins and they were delicious. Only thing I would add is it helps to know you can fill the case to 2/3rds height or so without it significantly overflowing as it bakes.

Also, I put the excess pastry in a baking tin with some jam and put the last few spoons of cake thinly over that, followed by the icing and leftover cherries and I almost prefer the bakewell thins that I got when I baked it alongside the cakes!

Bravo!!!! found your recipe this morning and had to try it, I have just finished icing them now and had to try one....they are scrumptious! pastry is perfect although I will admit I was a bit wary of not blind baking it first.....definitely not needed.

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I can definitely recommend it.

Hi Caked Crusader. I just got back from a trip to the UK where I became addicted to Mr Kiplings Cherry Bakewells (or DR CRIPPENS as my father in law calls them!). I made a batch of yours for hubby's birthday - they didn't even last a day! Thanks a bundle from my teeth and hips!

I'm so glad I found your recipie - my brother loves the Mr Kipling ones and I was looking for something similar that I could make for his birthday... i'm going to give this a go but instead of making lots of small ones i'm going for one giant one! wish me luck, and thanks!

...And, as a follow-up: your recipie gave EXACTLY the right amount for one big cake made in an 18cm cake tin. Thanks again, even my uber-discerning family agree it was as tasty as the shop-bought ones!

I know this is an old thread, so might not get an answer, but I'm going to attempt a big one for my fiance's birthday. I'm never confident with time in the oven, so do you have an idea of how long I should bake one in a 20cm tin for.Thanks :)

My answer is I don't know cos I've never done it! I'd give it the time stated in the recipe, then check it as 10 minute intervals.Keep an eye on the edges because, if they're browning too quickly you might want to cover them with a bit of foil

Well... I made this recipe today in a 20cm round tin. I made a giant version as a birthday cake. I used 1 & 1/2 times the recipe and baked it at 180c for 40mins.I turned out perfect. I Couldn't be happier,it tasted exactly like the Mr. Kipling version.

Baked up a batch of petite cherry bakewell tarts (using the tins that are for bite-sized tarts)in preparation for William and Kate's nuptuals. So yummy! Your recipe seems to be the same one that is located in the book,"The National Trust Book of Tea-Time Recipes." That may help some of your followers locate this recipe, and even more scrumptious delights!

I doubt I'll get a reply from this but:First off thank you! I used to be addicted to the Mr Kipling cherry bakewells but I had to give up sugar completely about 4 years ago and I've really missed them! I have a sugar substitute that I am allowed to have and I can't wait to try and make some!My question is, I have bought some pre-made pastry tartlets because the last time I tried to make pastry it failed miserably! As these will already be part cooked will I be able to use them or will they burn if I try?

Pre made pastry cases will probably work but I would think about checking the tarts earlier - maybe after 15 minutes. I've never tried this recipe with premade cases but I think the key will be the cooking time.

Was it crumbly when you brought it together? Could be that you needed a little more liquid? It's the tricky thing with pastry - it's never the same twice due to weather conditions etc.I wonder if your egg was smaller than mine - I always use large.

Thank you so much for this. Just thought I'd share that I have never baked in my life and yet my daughter said she'd LOVE a giant cherry bakewell for her 18th birthday so I had to give it a go. I am sooo glad I did and I'm now feeling very pleased with myself haha

I doubled everything and (due to the 8" foil pastry cases being so shallow) I ended up with 3 cakes! Shame ;) One decorated with a '1' and the other an '8' in cherries of course! My daughter loved them and we all loved sharing the spare one :). Deeeelish! Thanks again, Joy (uk) x

I have used this recipe twice this week because they turned out so good the first time round! Amazing recipe and really quite easy which is saying something for me as I'm usually no good at baking!I can see myself using this recipe many times in the future.Thank you so much!

I've just made a (failed) batch of cherry bakewell tarts following a recipe from a very well known and usually reliable source; it failed on 4 different counts from crumbly pastry to runny icing. I immediately consulted google and came across your recipe, it seems to be a much better version of what I just tried! Next time I'm using this :)

Hey Cake Crusader :)I have found your site today and it is amazing! I found it while looking for a nice cherry bakewell tart recipe and judging by all the comments on this threat I have found the one to use!I am a keen little baker myself and only started baking cakes in the last year and seem to enjoy it a lot and all my guinea pigs seem to love my creations too, which is always nice. I am actually being made to bake these bakewell tarts by request! I am very much looking forward to trying your recipe but I wanted to thank you in advance.I can almost guarantee I will be back looking for other recipes of yours to try too :) Although, I cant seem to find where I can subscribe to your site? x

The Caked Crusader! Wherever there is cake injustice, she'll be there, wherever there is a cry for "cake, more cake", you'll find her. And today, when my pathetic bleating about finding a Bakewell Tart recipe that actually worked had reached fever pitch, she indeed saved the day. Thank you, Caped Crusader, thank you. And the people of my small household in Berkshire thank you too.

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